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Recent trade actions have had no effect on the availability or supply of structural steelwork to the UK construction sector, nor on UK raw steel prices.

International trade has shot into the headlines recently with Brexit negotiations at a critical stage and the US/China in a ‘trade war’. The problem is that many of the articles on what this might mean for the steel sector conflate the issues and some have come to erroneous conclusions. This article sets out the facts clearly for structural steelwork.

Materials Cost Inflation: There is a broad range of factors that drive raw steel prices including exchange rates, raw material inputs including iron ore, coking coal and scrap, as well as electricity pricing. Combined with overall supply and demand, no one factor is dominant. It is also important to remember that for a typical building, the cost of the raw steel only represents 4% of the total building cost. Continue reading →

Analysis has been carried out by BCSA and its steelwork contractor member companies, in partnership with BCSA industry member companies that manufacture steel, provide distribution and stockholding services, supply structural fasteners, and plant and machinery.

A summary and the detailed risk analysis can be viewed by clicking on the link below.

Although we had all hoped that October would bring some much-needed clarity to the Brexit process, this has not been the case. Because of this, the structural steelwork sector has asked itself what the risks of a no-deal Brexit are to the UK’s structural steelwork supply.

The answer to this question is that the risk of a no-deal Brexit to the supply of structural steelwork in the UK is low.

So how do we know? BCSA and its member companies undertook a risk analysis that looked at the supply of materials and products, the structure of the workforce, stocking trends and tariffs under WTO rules. Continue reading →

I sometimes wonder whether main contractors and clients really understand how the structural steelwork sector works or the structures and processes we have in place to ensure sufficient quantities of high quality structural steelwork fabricated in the UK make their way onto the market.

The construction industry’s response to issues in the UK steelmaking sector a few years ago, the possibility of a no deal Brexit, and the US trade wars make me think not. Or maybe the media just likes to spread bad news.

Either way, those of us involved directly with the structural steelwork supply chain know that there is an adequate supply of high quality steel onto the UK market – both now and into the future. Continue reading →